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(No Model.) 7

O. F. A. STURTS. ELEGTRIUAL PROTECTION. FOR SAPES.

No. 516,239. Patented Mar. 13, 1-894.

y a M Div/ 'NITED STATES P TENT OFFICE.

CHARLES F. A. STURTS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGN OR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM J. SCHROTH, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRICAL PROTECTION FOR SAFES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 516,239, dated March 13, 1894.

Application filed April 11, 1893. Serial No. 469.956- (N0 model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES F. A. STURTS, a cltlzen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Protect1on for Safes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof. V My invention relates to means for protecting safes, vaults, &c., from any attempt of unauthorized persons to obtain access to them.

The object of my invention is to provideelectrical connections of such a character that any attempt to reach thesafe, shall set an alarm in operation and thus prevent any inury to the safe caused by efforts to force it open. In short to protect not'only the contents of the safe, but to render access to the safe itself impossible.

Letters Patent No. 492,478, were granted to me February 28, 1893, for an electrical burglar alarm system, in connection with which I prefer to use my present invention. It is not however essential that that system should be used, because a part of my invention conslsts in certain features of construction directly appertaining to the safe itself, from wh1ch electrical connections may be made to any other burglar alarm system which may be preferred. It will however render the ensuing description and the drawings accompanying it more clear, if I state now, that the system described in my patent comprised, first, an open local bell or alarm circuit at some inaccessible point, such as the outside of a building, secondly, a circuit including the lock of a door and closed at that point when the door is looked; and third, open contacts in the same circuit at points to be pro-' tected, such as doors and windows. Thus when the main door, (of a store or warehouse for example,) has been locked, any attempt at ingress at any of the protected points will complete the circuit, throw in the bell circuit,

7 and sound the alarm continuously, no matter if all the wires in the external circuit should be cut. In the present application we'may take a safe'as one of the points to be protected in this way,and suppose it to be located in the external circuit like one of the windows shown in my patent.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1, is a perspective View of a safe with its protecting casing the front of which is removed. Fig. 2, is a longitudinal section through one end of the protecting casing. Fig. 3, is a rear view of the front of the casing. Fig. 4, is a detail section of one of the circuit closers operated by removing the front of the casing.

A, represents a safe, and B, a cabinet or casing, preferably of Wood, surrounding it completely except that the front is removable while the safe is supposed to be in use. Within this cabinet is a triple lining composedof two metal sheets 1, and 2, and an interposed sheet of insulating material 3. I have found zinc well adapted for the conducting sheets, and paper or very thin wood for the insulat ing sheet, but the particular materials form no essential part of the apparatus. This lining extends throughout the top, back, bottom and ends of the casing and over the rear surface of the removable front 0, (Fig. 3.) I will assume for the moment, what will be later described in detail, that the two conducting sheets of the lining are electrically connected with an alarm; so that, if the safe is fully inclosed, the introduction of an auger or a drill,or punch, or any other tool, through the casing and lining at any point, will close the circuit between the sheets 1 and 2, and sound the alarm. As the front is easily removed, I have provided that such removal will also close the circuit so that. the alarm will sound just as if a tool had made contact with both conducting sheets. Figs. 1, 2, and 5, show a form of circuit closer which I prefer to use. A hollow thimble 4, is set in the easing on each side of the front opening. Within this thimble is a sliding stud 5, the stem 6, of which is surrounded by asprin'g 7, which tends to force the stud outward. At the rear end of the stem is a contact point 8. To the threaded end of the plate 9 the Wire 19 is 5 clamped by nuts 11. The wire 19 leads to the metallic sheet 2. A wire 10, leads from the thimble 4 to the metallic sheet 1. When the front is in position, contacts 12, 13, one on each of the lining sheets of the front, bear upon the studs 5, and thus electrically connect the lining of the front to that of the main casing. When the front is placed in position, it will force the stems 6 inward and out of contact with screw 9, opening the circuit at those points. Should the burglar take 0d the front the circuit will be closed at 8 and 9 and the alarm sounded.

It may be stated here, that instead of using a continuous sheet of insulation, it may be provided with numerous perforations so that whileordinarilykeepingtheconductingsheets apart, the insertion of a tool, and pressure on the outer plate, would permit a contact to be made through one or more of the perforations.

I may use any suitable alarm mechanism and prefer to use such a system as that shown in my patent referred to, so that as the circuit is closed by the insertion of a tool or taking off the front a continuous alarm will be set up in abell circuit. Thus any burglar attempting to reach the safe would sound an alarm by the act of cutting into the light wooden casing and would never really have access to the safe itself.

At the same time i the safe is perfectly accessible at proper times through the open front.

It should be stated that the safe itself may form one of the conducting plates, in which case, the casing, would have only a single metal lining sheet, insulated from the safe itself. In this case the safe itself will be in the electrical circuit.

What I claim is As a means for protecting safes, an inclosing casing having a movable front, a lining for said casing composed of metallic sheets having interposed insulating material, one or more automatic circuit closers connected to both of said sheets and adapted to be closed by removing the movable front, and electrical connections to an alarm.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 1st day of April, 1893.

CHARLES F. A. STURTS.

\Vitnesses:

L. W. SEELY, J onn COFFEE. 

